Talking about cold...not that we even were...but who cares? It is freezing here! It isn't as cold as Minnesota gets, however, it's the coldest day yet this year. As Minnesotain as we are, we were freezing our tails off! It was around 15- WITHOUT the windchill. Allot of you can probably gage just how cold that is...but for those of you who live in the sunny state of Florida, or smoldering Texas, or bakeing Arozona, or even those who only get a half inch of snow on a good year let me explain what that means. That is when you step outside and the little hairs in your nose freeze on the first breath. That's when you have a bottle of water and it freezes before you get in the car... (my brother did that yesterday, grant it it wasn't full and he stopped to put some stuff in his trunk, but still...that is pretty stinking cold!) But this all works together for good. Not only does it mean that the snow is still fluffy and nice, because it's too cold for the kids to venture out and make a mess in it, (not that I mind messy snow) but it also meant that prayer meeting was canceled at church, (since we have some people who drive over an hour to reach it, and you don't want to get stuck in a drift in weather like this.) Not that I wasn't disappointed that church was canceled, I was, but as it so tuned out, being the fearless Minnesotains we are, my brother, sister and I ventured out anyway. I got to come along on account of the cold...lol, no it's not that I am especailly warm, or anything...my sister wanted to wear pants fo the weather, (and out of sheer lasiness in actually getting dressed, lol) and so I came along to go into the library for her and pick up the books that were on reserve for us. My first mistake was my attire...wait...perhaps that was my only mistake? It cause allot of trouble. My sister made me this lovely skirt that reaches the floor when I am wearing my four inch heels...crazy? ahh! but i was thrilled with it. Being tall I don't get many nice long skirts, and this was an exception I was glad to bear. And so I wore my nice new skirt. Not only is it nice and thick cloth makeing it cozy and warm, but it keeps the wind from blowing inside because it is so long.... The only draw back is that is hangs REALLY low on my hips. In fact it has fallen righ off twice...thankfully nobody was around and it didn't get far enough to really be indecent, just far enough that I thought, "it's going to go!" and grabbed it. It does stay up, but it has this little strip of elastic in the back, that at the slightest tug stretches out and makes the skirt too big! To compensate for it's glorious length I wore my four inch heeled boots that I meantioned earlier. They go up to my knees, so while they are dressy and impractical, they do keep you warm. My final addition was a thick leather coat...this isn't just your ordinary light leather coat. This is my brothers dear hide, 50 pound coat. Warm enough to keep you from freezing in the dead of winter in Alaska. And heavy enough to sink the titanic single handedly. When we reached the library, my sister went in anyway, reguardless of her army greens pants and clashing red t-shirt, topped with two coats, one leather and the other my brother's work coat. I picked up the books that were on researve and some books for my little brothers to read for school. My pile was awfully high by the time I got to my last little job. For this one I had to ascent the stairs to the second floor of our large library. I expertly balenced my books in one hand and gathered my skirt in the other. Narrowly missing stepping on the front. A sure disaster for a reason I am sure you understand. I smiled at the lady on the stairs directly to my right. The two sets of stairs, one going up and one going to the parking area are actually only seperated by a huge sheet of crystal clear glass that streaches all the way across the front of the library, and is broken only by the glass doors and windows. I searched the floor for the book I wanted, finaly asking for the help of a very helpful library clerck who showed me how to look up the books number. Ironic how the book I couldn't find was called, "magic eye." All this running around made me overly warm, my attire wasn't exactly air conditioned ant eh library was warm already. I removed my eskimo coat. Big mistake. With the added effort of my coat supported in the hand holding up my skirt. Swoosh... I dropped half the books... accross the floor they flew, twards the stairs, twards the computers, twards the movie section... . As I picked them up I think I turned purple with embarrisment. People just sort of walked around me in large arks, preteneding I wansn't there. But I still FELT like everyone was giggling behind their hands. I gathered them up, ablibious to the fact I was destined for disaster. I was glad the stairs was only four feet away, cause I wanted to get OUT OF THERE. In my haste I forgot something... my skirt...required a helping hand or so to speak...The top step, not two yards from my first spill, I knew my skirt was going! It was either my my modisty or my books... I definently chose the modisty... and my second disaster cam into being while I reached franticaly for my skirt, my bood (four inch heels remember?) caught on the top step, and I flew forward... the glass loomed in front of me...The lady on the oppozit side watch with a expression of utter disbelief and complete horror as I careened twards the huge sheet of clear glass... my books were once again in mid air... as was I... and my coat... all flying... all flying twards a huge sheet of glass... As unbelievable as it were, being I am generally such a cluts... I just barely caught myself about a foot from the glass I threw my self backwards and managed to catch my balance. My face red, I prettended this happened every day as I picked up my things. Because in reality it does. I do stuff like this all the time. I figured my bad luck was over for today, and I laughed at my stupidity with my siblings as I was leaving to library I looked over my shoulder and... forgot to hold up my skirt... and there it went... slipping down... as I reached to catch it... guess who's books flew all over the side walk? As my siblings hurried twards the car I yelled, "Just pretend you don't know me!" and they stopped to wait, laughing... the funny thing is... as tarible as the event was... I still had a blast! We blasted music all the way home... and I had an all around good time... despite the numourous moments of horror!


January 29th 2004